From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Article from 'The Autocar' magazine titled 'The Sport' discussing the 1939 Le Mans race and a G.P. Sunbeam car.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 160\5\ scan0047 | |
| Date | 22th November 1940 | |
| 532 The Autocar November 22nd, 1940. The Sport BY VIZOR ★ Corners and Men ★ A Grand Prix Sunbeam in Ulster (Image caption) Yes, you're right. It's Le Mans, 1939 and the Lagonda is driven by Arthur Dobson; the Delage by Louis Gerard. The Delage led for a considerable time. WHAT event does the picture bring back to you? A good many people who read these words will have been there. It was Le Mans, 1939, of course. Drivers and cars featured are Arthur Dobson in the twelve-cylinder Lagonda and Louis Gerard in the 3-litre Delage at Arnage. Why pick them out, you might ask. The two photographs make an interesting comparison. Gerard's cornering was apt to be hectic, though to excellent purpose; Dobson, an observer would probably say, seemed always to be putting less effort into the job, yet got round as quickly. In this particular race Gerard, with his partner Monneret, finished second, averaging 85.75 m.p.h., whereas the Lagonda, first time out as a racing machine, was third at 83.61. Charles Brackenbury was the other driver, it will be recalled. Yet the speed which gave the Lagonda only third place— and a fine show considering how little time there had been to prepare the two cars—was higher than the winning speed in the 1938 24-hour race. * * * Gerard had made some of the fastest laps in practice, and by the third lap he was in the lead. He led for the first three hours, then the position went to a Delahaye for the next two, only to change in favour of yet another French make at quarter time, Chinetti's Talbot-Darracq. Around midnight—is it so long ago, seemingly, that you forget that the Le Mans “24” began at 4 p.m.?—Gerard brought the Delage into the lead once more, the supercharged 3.3-litre Bugatti driven by Wimille and Veyron always harrying it. Gerard drove all the time as if it were only a hundredmile race instead of one in which the leading cars would cover more than 2,000 miles. It must have been a tough machine that could stand up for so long to the somewhat rough treatment he was giving it. But at last it cracked, the car came in with the engine misfiring, and valve trouble was diagnosed. The Bugatti had its chance and was able to take it three hours before finishing time. The Delage made another long pit stop. After that the Bugatti held on at a great pace, though challenged by the two Lagondas, which were out to finish, at a sizzling pace, but not risking break-up speeds, their drivers being of the kind who will run to pit instructions. The Delage had built up such a lead before trouble came to it that although in the later stages it could only continue relatively slowly it was still good enough to come in second at 85.75 m.p.h., covering 2,058 miles. * * * A G.P. Sunbeam NOT long ago there was an interesting correspondence in The Autocar on the subject of the Grand Prix Sunbeam of 1922 and '23, particularly '23, when Segrave won the French Grand Prix. Following this some details and history came to light of one of these machines that had got out to Australia and been run in various events there. Now I hear from a County Down, Northern Ireland, enthusiast, J.{Mr Johnson W.M.} D.{John DeLooze - Company Secretary} Barbour, who calmly says that he has just become the owner of a G.P. Sunbeam, a supercharged six-cylinder, so that it sounds like the 1923 car, for the 1922 was a four-cylinder. It has chassis and engine No. 4, and on the dash is a plate showing that it once belonged to Jack Dunfee. Barbour is now in process of rebuilding the car, having in mind the considerable modification of fitting a 2.6-litre M.G. engine if at all possible. Presumably, he intends using it as a sports car, and the chassis features plus a modern engine of good power characteristics and with none of the likely “temperament” of an eighteen-year-old G.P. unit should be a handy link-up. * * * Naturally he would like to discover as much as possible about the car, which one of the team it actually was, * 26 | ||